Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 83
किं पावनाः प्रकीर्त्यंते रासभा भस्मधूसराः । स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु मलैः सर्वैर्विवर्जितः
kiṃ pāvanāḥ prakīrtyaṃte rāsabhā bhasmadhūsarāḥ | sa snātaḥ sarvatīrtheṣu malaiḥ sarvairvivarjitaḥ
เหตุไฉนลาจึงถูกประกาศว่า ‘บริสุทธิ์’ เพียงเพราะตัวหม่นด้วยเถ้า? ผู้ที่ปราศจากมลทินทั้งปวงเท่านั้น—ผู้นั้นแลประหนึ่งได้อาบในตถาคตแห่งทิรถะทั้งสิ้น
Skanda (deduced from Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa narrative style within Brahmakhaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-snāna (metaphorical)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A humorous yet instructive tableau: a donkey dusted in ash stands near a cremation-ground edge, while a serene sage with clear eyes stands radiant—subtle light around him—signifying freedom from impurities and ‘all-tīrtha’ merit.
FAQs
External marks alone do not purify; freedom from inner and outer impurities is the real ‘bath in all tīrthas’.
No single site is named; the verse universalizes tīrtha-merit as the fruit of genuine purity.
It discourages relying on mere external appearance (e.g., being ash-covered) and points to impurity-removal as the true purification.